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SARS DEATH TOLL RISES
Sky News ^
| 4-21-03
Posted on 04/21/2003 12:57:06 PM PDT by Prince Charles
SARS DEATH TOLL RISES
Fears over the scale of the Sars crisis facing China has deepened as the global death toll from the virus climbed, claiming at least 10 more lives.
On Sunday, China's health ministry admitted more than 700 confirmed or suspected Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Sars - cases in Beijing.
Now, China's health ministry has increased the toll under government orders for full disclosure.
Eight new deaths were reported in China through various state media but the health ministry's latest tally was 92 dead.
According to the ministry figures, the Chinese mainland now has 2,001 cases of Sars. Of these, 1,201 patients had been cured and discharged and 92 had died.
The spread of the disease has fuelled concerns that Sars is gaining a foothold in every corner of China.
A US-based analyst said China's decision to cancel week-long May Day holidays to keep people from travelling would have little effect since the virus had probably already spread to all corners of the country.
Tiananmen Gate, Beijing
"It's too late," said Andrew Thompson, an expert on Chinese health issues at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "It's got to be everywhere by now, and if it isn't, it will soon be there," he said.
A six-person team from the World Health Organisation has arrived in Shanghai to investigate the extent of the outbreak in China's biggest city.
And the Chinese cabinet is sending Sars-fighting teams to cities, provinces and autonomous regions and it has sacked Beijing's mayor Meng Xuenong.
In Hong Kong, six more people died after a grim weekend in which 19 were killed by Sars, taking the death toll to 94. Another 22 new cases were reported, with the number of cases reaching 1,402.
The authorities do not include in their figures an American national who was pronounced dead on arrival at a Hong Kong hospital after being transferred from mainland China.
More than 4,000 people are confirmed or suspected to have been infected by the disease in around 30 countries since the crisis erupted.
Last Updated: 19:47 UK, Monday April 21, 2003
TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: sars
According to the ministry figures, the Chinese mainland now has 2,001 cases of Sars. Of these, 1,201 patients had been cured and discharged and 92 had died.
That would make for a death rate of 7.1%
To: Prince Charles
We're having a little SARS scare in the next county over..Ontario, New York in the City of Canandaigua.
Apparently, someone that works in a bar/restaurant had gone to Toronto and was sick when he returned home.
Our local radio station is having a ball with it. Someone called in, said he was in Canandaigua. Said something big must be going on. There were 4 police cars at the donut shop.
Folks just went on and on. Sonneberg gardens would be used for mass burials etc, etc.. They hoped it could be stopped at the Genesee River.
While this sounds awful, it is just being way overblown at this point and people are trying not to over react. They said all the TV stations were in Canandaigua looking for a story.
The health Dept is watching the guy and they said he had a cold BEFORE he went to Toronto. We're being COOL in NY. Yes, we care!!
2
posted on
04/21/2003 1:08:55 PM PDT
by
Sacajaweau
(mnGod Bless Our Troops!)
To: Prince Charles
I been reading that this was less dangerous than getting a flu (stupid reporters can't get anything straight, jeez). However, the death rate for a flu is 13.1 per 100,000. Over 7% is nuts and deadly beyond any flu.
To: Sacajaweau
While this sounds awful, it is just being way overblown at this point and people are trying not to over react. They said all the TV stations were in Canandaigua looking for a story. Some Panic Peddlers in the media (especially TeeVee) are on this story for one reason: ratings. Their careers live and die by those numbers.
To: BushCountry
Bingo, and those who recover from SARS are likely to have lingering, debilitating problems.
To: BushCountry; CathyRyan; Mother Abigail; Dog Gone; Petronski; per loin; riri; flutters; ...
I suspect reporters are being told by their editors to not cause panic.
To: Prince Charles
From the first article I read on it, Sars has struck me as a very serious problem that will probably be with us for several decades before it starts to taper off. It could easily be worse than the flu pandemic at the beginning of the century, which killed more people than the First World War. The population controllers and the ecofreaks who think there are too many people around should be ecstatic about this.
First the resurgence of Islam, and now Sars. We are moving into interesting times.
7
posted on
04/21/2003 2:06:59 PM PDT
by
Cicero
(Marcus Tullius)
To: Cicero; CathyRyan; Mother Abigail; Dog Gone; Petronski; per loin; riri; flutters; Judith Anne; ...
To: All
sarswatch.org is saying that there will be a Nightline special on SARS on ABC tonight.
To: Prince Charles; CathyRyan; Mother Abigail; Dog Gone; Petronski; per loin; riri; flutters; ...
To: Prince Charles
Stupid Chinese, let it go on and on, and now they're paying for it. Thanks China. Stupid tards.
11
posted on
04/21/2003 2:54:37 PM PDT
by
IvanT
To: All
To: aristeides
It will be President Bush's fault.
13
posted on
04/21/2003 3:32:36 PM PDT
by
Dog Gone
To: BushCountry
Over 7% is nuts and deadly beyond any flu Take a look at WHO's Monday figures. The death rate in Hong Kong is 18%. It similar in other countries with large numbers of SARS cases. You need to believe that either mainland China has better hospitals than HK, or that their govt is lying. I tend towards the latter
14
posted on
04/21/2003 3:46:02 PM PDT
by
SauronOfMordor
(Heavily armed, easily bored, and off my medication)
To: BushCountry; CathyRyan
Several things strike me about SARS:
- It has a high death rate. In Hong Kong, Canada, and other countries, we're seeing death rates of around 18% (when you look at deaths versus recoveries, excluding people still sick). This is in the same league as smallpox
- Black Plague, while having a higher death rate (50%) is spread by rats and fleas, which makes it a non-issue in the US outside of certain high-poverty areas. Smallpox is not contagious in it's initial stages, and the ill person will be bedridden by the time the contagious stage is reached, making isolation easy. SARS is an airborne disease, and seems highly communicatable
- SARS mutates, making a vaccine difficult to produce. It also means that those that survive one SARS illness, can get sick AGAIN a few months later from a mutated version (much like getting a cold does not immunize us from colds)
The combination of these factors has the potential to be very ugly. You would have difficulty bioengineering an uglier bug if you tried
15
posted on
04/21/2003 4:06:16 PM PDT
by
SauronOfMordor
(Heavily armed, easily bored, and off my medication)
To: SauronOfMordor
Black Plague does occur sporadically out west in this country, because of infected wild rodents there. But, with modern treatment, it has nothing like the old death rate. If it's caught in time, it's 100% curable with antibiotics. You only die if it's not caught in time, which is usually the result of misdiagnosis.
To: SauronOfMordor
It may have a high death rate but considering the population of Hong Cong is 6.8 million people, the rate is miniscule per overall population.
17
posted on
04/21/2003 8:15:14 PM PDT
by
Sacajaweau
(mnGod Bless Our Troops!)
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